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Gathering all your stuff together for a trip to the gym can be tricky. You'll need shoes, a change of clothes and a towel on top of any other equipment you may require. To help you carry all your gear, it's important to find a gym bag that's fit for purpose.
Whether you're heading to the gym or you just need something for PE, you'll want a bag with enough pockets and compartments that's easy and comfortable to carry around with you. But with so many options from popular sports brands like Nike and Adidas, you're going to be spoilt for choice. That's why we've ranked the top 10 best sports bags on Argos, Amazon, ASOS and more!
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Table of Contents
There are two main ways to determine the size of a gym bag. The first, and most obvious method, is to look at the dimensions. By comparing the bag's height, width and length, you'll be able to make sure that it's big enough for all your kit.
However, it can also be helpful to know the volume of the bag to get a clearer idea of the actual capacity it can hold. The volume is measured in litres – smaller bags will have a capacity of around 30 to 40 litres, whereas one with a capacity greater than 50 litres will be on the larger end of the spectrum.
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The last thing you want to do after an intense gym session is lug a heavy bag around with you. By the time you have shoes and other heavier items in your bag, it can soon add up, so to help lighten the load, you should aim to pick a gym bag that's not too heavy.
Bags that weigh less than 1 kg will feel nice and light on your shoulder or back, although it's worth noting that heavier bags can sometimes be made of higher quality materials that are better prepared for regular use and bad weather.
Whether they're your gym trainers or the ones you plan on wearing for the rest of the day, shoes can be muddy. When throwing all of your stuff together inside your gym bag, you don't want dirt and grime to transfer from your shoes to your clean clothes.
This is where a separate shoe compartment really comes in handy. These large zipped pockets are normally waterproofed, so you can also use them to keep your dirty, sweaty kit away from the clothes you plan to change into after.
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Gym bags will usually have 3 distinct straps, all of which serve a slightly different purpose. In the middle of the bag there are two twin straps which tend to be shorter. These are good for carrying your bag short distances and can often be fastened together to make them easier to hold.
The other strap is a long one that covers the length of the bag. This is the strap that you use to carry the bag over your shoulder or body, which is helpful if you're travelling longer distances. To make these straps more comfortable and convenient to use, some are removable or adjustable, while others are padded.
While it might be dry when you're in the gym, there is no guarantee that it won't be raining on your way there, and it's not a very pleasant experience having to put on wet gym clothes! For this reason, choosing a bag that's waterproof is a real advantage.
It doesn't necessarily need to be fully waterproof – a bag that's splash-proof or water-resistant will prevent unwanted moisture from entering. In some cases, it won't be the entire bag that is waterproof. You may find it's just a pocket or the side that is most likely to come in contact with the ground.
As a storage place for sweaty clothes and smelly shoes and socks, your bag might start to pick up a slight odour after a while. Unfortunately, it's often not as simple as just throwing your bag in the washing machine and being done with it.
While some bags are suitable for machine washing, many aren't and will instead require you to wipe them clean with a damp cloth, also known as spot cleaning. This takes more time and doesn't offer the full clean you might want, but it does mean your bag won't be damaged.
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Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Under Armour Small Undeniable Duffle 4.0 Gym Bag | £33.95 High Mid | A Top-Quality Duffel That Has Everything You Could Need and More | ||
2 | Champion Training Holdall | £36.00 High Mid | Great for Travel With a Large 57-Litre Capacity | ||
3 | Adidas Linear Duffel Bag | £18.00 Low Mid | A Comfy, Conscious Hold-All Made From Recycled Polyester | ||
4 | FitBeast Sports Gym Bag | £26.99 Mid | A Stylish Option That Will Take You From Gym to Office | ||
5 | Nike Brasilia Training Duffel Bag (Small) | £23.00 Mid | A Compact Choice to Inject Some Colour Into Your Routine | ||
6 | SportsNew Sports Gym Bag | £16.99 Low | Ideal for Swimmers Thanks to a Waterproof Pocket | ||
7 | ESVAN Duffel Bag 2 | £21.99 Mid | A Bright Tote With 19 Different Design Options | ||
8 | The North Face Base Camp Duffle Bag, Small | £110.00 High | A Well-Padded Gym Backpack for Commuting and Outdoor Adventures | ||
9 | Puma Challenger Duffel Bag, Small | £20.81 Low Mid | A Basic, Budget-Friendly Pick for Occasional Use | ||
10 | Gaiam Metro Gym Bag | £33.99 High Mid | The Perfect Bag for Yoga Classes |
This bag will ensure that you are ready to hit the gym every time. There are plenty of zip pockets, both internal and external, as well as a larger pocket for laundry or shoes. What's more, this pocket is vented, which prevents the build up of unpleasant odours.
The base is reinforced to keep your belongings in place, and to stop anything from getting wet or dirty inside when you rest it on the ground. If that wasn't enough, you can also put this bag in the washing machine to freshen it up.
Considering this bag can hold up to 57.7 litres worth of stuff, it's not very heavy at all. In fact, this bag is so large it works just as well as a weekend bag as it does a gym bag. It's also flexible enough that it will hold it's shape, even if you don't want to fill it to the brim.
The large strap is not only adjustable, but also removable, so you can decide how you find it most comfortable to hold and wear. Pockets are not a problem either as this bag has five separate to the main compartment.
Despite this bag coming from a big brand like adidas, it is surprisingly affordable. This is especially true when you take into account that this bag also has environmental credentials, with a large percentage of it being made from recycled polyester.
Both the twin straps and the large cross-body strap are padded, making the bag easy to carry and ensuring you don't end up doing any extra, undesired work outside the gym. The black colour will go with everything and your shoes can be stored safely away.
If you are someone who goes straight from the gym to the office, then this bag is a great option. Compared to many other gym bags, it looks very sophisticated with its smart grey colour and its reinforced shape, meaning it won't look out of place in either.
It has plenty of space for all of your stuff, as you would hope from a gym bag. The shoe compartment means you can keep dirt away from your smart work clothes, and the solid design will stop anything from getting crinkled or squashed.
This bag might be the smallest option in this range, but it is definitely not short on space! Specialised pockets mean you have enough room for all of those gym and day-to-day essentials. We particularly like the bright pink as it stands out from the other, darker options.
The material is splash-proof, so you don't have to panic if your caught in a rain shower, all of your belongings will stay dry. It's light and easy to carry, allowing you to go about your daily business comfortably.
This gym bag may be cheap, but that doesn't mean it doesn't tick all the boxes! This bag has all the essentials, like a separate shoe compartment and side pockets to store your water bottle. It's also incredibly lightweight, so it won't add any unnecessary weight for you to carry.
One drawback of this bag is the padding on the straps, which is non-existent on the twin straps and only very light on the main strap. This combined with the fact that the straps are quite thin may cause the straps to cut into your shoulder, which could get uncomfortable after a while.
As a tote, this bag doesn't conform to the typical 'gym bag' style. A potential downside is it may be a bit too heavy for some, if you're carrying a lot of things on just one shoulder. However, if you intend on leaving the heavy lifting for the gym, this could be ideal!
The selling point for this tote is it's bright and daring design, and with a relatively large capacity, it's practical too. It comes in a rage of 19 different patterns, from more subdued to bold and vibrant, so you can choose the style to best suit your look.
This unique gym bag is designed to be worn as a backpack with two incredibly well-padded, adjustable shoulder straps. What makes it better than a normal rucksack, is that it opens on the side, so you don't have to take everything out of your bag to find the item you want.
However, this does mean that this bag won't be the best if you already wear a rucksack in addition to your gym bag. It also makes it a little more difficult to access the bag's contents.
This bag has everything you would expect from a gym bag, particularly one made by a well-known sportswear brand like Puma. With a shoe inlay, you'll have somewhere to put dirty kit, without worrying about it soiling other items. Plus, the shoulder strap has an adjustable pad for comfortable carrying.
On a practical level, you might run into a few issues with this bag. It isn't water resistant, so you'll want to be careful if you get caught out in the rain or want use it for swimming. There twin straps also lack padding, which reduces the ways that this bag can be comfortably carried.
This gym bag is a little different in shape and purpose from the others on this list. That's because it has been designed specially for yoga enthusiasts. It has a cinch cord for keeping your all-important yoga mat in place, and pockets for storing items like your water bottle and other yoga gear.
Because you often don't need as much stuff for yoga as you would for other gym pursuits, this bag is relatively small. It also only has the twin straps to carry it, neither of which are padded, which might put strain on your shoulders after a while.
No. 1: Under Armour|Small Undeniable Duffle 4.0 Gym Bag
No. 2: Champion|Training Holdall
No. 3: Adidas|Linear Duffel Bag
No. 4: FitBeast|Sports Gym Bag
No. 5: Nike|Brasilia Training Duffel Bag (Small)
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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